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Biochar amendment mitigates negative effects of controlled irrigation on paddy soil structure: Insights from micro-pore network analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Hu, Jiazhen
  • Yang, Shihong
  • Cornelis, Wim M.
  • Huang, Qian
  • Qi, Suting
  • Jiang, Zewei
  • Qiu, Haonan
  • Xu, Yi

Abstract

With increasing rice production demands and water scarcity, developing water-saving irrigation techniques for paddy fields is a global priority. The impact of these techniques on soil structure remains unclear, especially under varying water-carbon conditions. From 2022–2023, field experiments examined four biochar rates and two irrigation methods (controlled irrigation (CI) and flooding irrigation (FI)), resulting in five treatments: CK (0t/ha+CI), CA (60t/ha+CI), CB (30t/ha+CI), CC (10t/ha+CI), and FK (0t/ha+FI). Compared to FK, CK decreased mean weight diameter (19.73–25.54 %), soil organic matter (4.64–9.79 %), total nitrogen (2.68–10.59 %), dissolved organic carbon (1.90–9.48 %), water content at saturation (0.23–15.83 %) and permanent wilting point (3.69–7.87 %), while it increased unstable aggregates index (6.29–15.11 %) and fractal dimension (1.59–1.88 %). Biochar treatments (CA, CB, CC) mitigated CK's adverse effects on soil aggregate stability, total nitrogen, and water retention capacity and significantly improved these indicators. CA increased porosity across various effective pore diameters, while CB and CC primarily increased the proportion of porosity for diameters > 250μm. Simulation results indicated that compared to CK (3.879μm²), the intrinsic permeability (K) of soil under CA, CB, and CC treatments increased by 106.69 %, 77.77 %, and 3.31 %, respectively, while FK showed a contrasting decrease of 3.58 %. K correlated well with > 250μm porosity and connected porosity representing microstructure, with correlation coefficients of 0.96 and 0.94. Overall, biochar improved chemical properties and micropore structure (porosity for diameters >250μm, connected porosity) of soil aggregates under CI, enhancing macroaggregate functions such as soil stability and hydraulic properties.

Suggested Citation

  • Hu, Jiazhen & Yang, Shihong & Cornelis, Wim M. & Huang, Qian & Qi, Suting & Jiang, Zewei & Qiu, Haonan & Xu, Yi, 2025. "Biochar amendment mitigates negative effects of controlled irrigation on paddy soil structure: Insights from micro-pore network analysis," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 314(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:314:y:2025:i:c:s0378377425002318
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2025.109517
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Qi, Suting & Yang, Shihong & Lin, Xiuyan & Hu, Jiazhen & Jiang, Zewei & Xu, Yi, 2023. "The long-term effectiveness of biochar in increasing phosphorus availability and reducing its release risk to the environment in water-saving irrigated paddy fields," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    2. Ying Li & Zhanming Ma & Yutao Liu & Zilong Cui & Qiuyu Mo & Can Zhang & Haiyan Sheng & Wen Wang & Yongkun Zhang, 2023. "Variation in Soil Aggregate Stability Due to Land Use Changes from Alpine Grassland in a High-Altitude Watershed," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, February.
    3. Jia, Angyuan & Song, Xiaojun & Li, Shengping & Liu, Zhipeng & Liu, Xiaotong & Han, Zixuan & Gao, Huizhou & Gao, Qiqi & Zha, Yan & Liu, Ying & Wu, Xueping & Wang, Gang, 2024. "Biochar enhances soil hydrological function by improving the pore structure of saline soil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
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    1. Zhao, Yibo & Yang, Wei & Zhang, Dongliang & Qu, Zhongyi & Zhang, Ruxin, 2026. "Synergistic effects of biochar and deficit irrigation on soil properties and organic carbon fractions in arid sunflower farmlands," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 324(C).

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